Laminate is popular in the west now because the installation costs are so much cheaper than tile and the modern materials used are actually quite good.
In Thailand because labor is so cheap you should buy porcelain tiles if durability is a factor you're looking for.

What would really be great is along with the financial requirements for long stay visa's is a basic working knowledge of the Thai language.
Pathetic how many expats can't even string a basic sentence together in Thai after being here for more than 5 years.

It took worse than a nose dive once the owners split the place the up and then stopped paying the cable bill and let both pool go to trash, I owned a nice double unit in there when it was really nice and loved the location.